This little fellow was riding on my shirt after I emerged from the woods on a hike; I wasn't sure of his identity or what kind of foliage or tree to put him back on, so I brought him home to study. I first thought he was a Symmerista canicosta (the Red-humped oakworm), so that's why I photographed him on a oak leaf.
The oakworm becomes a rather visually boring brown moth (yes, I know that's a value judgement, but you know what I mean), but the process of pupation and eclosion always amazes me, so I kept him on my desk. After two days he had eaten only a small bite of the oak leaves, so I rechecked his identity, and discovered to my chagrin that he was actually Erannis tiliaria (a "Linden looper"). He will become an even more boring brown moth, but I'll see if I can watch the process. He is certainly happier now that I've gotten rid of the inappropriate (and hard-to-digest) oak leaves in favor of a mix of leaves from various trees around our house.
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